HBT: Clemens won't rule out 2013 comeback

Roger Clemens has shut himself down for the rest of 2012, but he hasn?t completely given up on the dream of one day returning to the major leagues.

The 50-year-old right-hander will be in?Kissimmee, Florida with the Astros next spring to fulfill his personal services contract and may be more than just a special instructor if his arm cooperates in workouts leading up to the opening of camp.

Via Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle:

?I might be going again here in February or something like that,? Clemens said Saturday. ?I?ll be throwing. I don?t think it?s going to be competitive, but you guys know with me, I?m never going to shut the door on anything. Who knows what might happen.?

Clemens threw seven scoreless innings over two starts earlier this summer for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner hasn?t pitched in the majors since the 2007 season.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/23/roger-clemens-wont-rule-out-comeback-in-2013/related

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Far Out! Meteorites From Mars & Moon Going Up For Sale

If you've ever yearned to own something from out of this world, here's your chance.

On Oct. 14 in Manhattan, fragments of Mars, the moon and asteroids that have fallen to Earth go up for sale, in what auction house Heritage Auctions is billing as the largest public meteorite auction ever held.

More than 125 items are for sale, a number of which have no minimum bid attached.?

The growing market for meteorites has driven the emergence of a meteorite prospecting industry in northwestern Africa and Oman, but even as people scour the deserts for meteorites, rocks from space remain among the most rare things on Earth,??

Taken together, every single meteorite known to exist would weigh significantly less than the world?s annual output of gold, said Darryl Pitt, the meteorite consultant for the auction.

Nearly all known meteorites originate in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and research tied a few back to the large asteroid Vesta. Vesta's surface bears evidence of collisions, including a large crater near its southern pole that could have ejected rocks onto paths that intersected with Earth?s. [See Photos of Meteorites for Sale]

This sale includes material from six meteorites that originated on Vesta.

Bits of Mars and the moon are much more rare, but they, too, have been launched by asteroid impacts. About 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of moon meteorites are known to exist, and none has been found in Europe or the Americas. About one-quarter, however, have been found by scientists on the cold desert of Antarctica, according to auction materials.

Mars' rocks present a particular challenge to identify, because humans haven't been able to bring Martian rocks back to Earth, as has happened with moon rocks. However, scientists do know the composition of Mars' atmosphere, and they have matched it to the composition of pockets of gas contained in some meteorites, confirming their Martian origin.

Next month's auction is slated to feature meteorites from both places, including a fragment of the Tissint meteorite, which fell in Morocco in July 2011; the fragment came from a larger specimen owned by the Natural History Museum of London. The auction also includes two halves from a 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) lunar meteorite that is the fourth largest available for private ownership.

Exotic origins and scientific interest aside, meteorites can also be beautiful. Some can look like abstract sculptures or are dotted with yellow peridot, the August birthstone. In some cases, slices reveal the metallic patterns hidden within the meteorite.

This Mars meteorite landed in July 2011 as part of a shower in the vicinity of Tissint, Morocco, the location that gives the meteorite its name. Collectors and institutions have since snapped up Tissint meteorites. This meteorite, which weighs 0.75 pounds (327 grams), locks into a larger specimen now owned by London's Natural History Museum.

A meteorite has no value until it has been authenticated by meteoriticist, a scientist who studies meteorites. To examine a meteorite, a meteoriticist must look at the rock's internal matrix by cutting away a piece. As a result, all meteorites must be cut, except those that fall as part of the same meteor shower, Pitt said. A description of the meteorite and its name are then published. [Facts About Meteorites]

A backstory can also make a meteorite more valuable to collectors; for instance, meteorites seen falling from the sky are more valuable than those discovered only after they are on the ground, Pitt said.

The auction is scheduled to take place on Sunday (Oct. 14) at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion at 2 East 79th Street, Manhattan. The public can view the meteorites on Thursday (Oct. 11) from noon to 8 p.m. ET, on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 12 and 13) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday (Oct. 14) from noon to 3:30 p.m.

Follow LiveScience on Twitter @livescience. We're also on Facebook?& Google+.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/far-meteorites-mars-moon-going-sale-114959968.html

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Microsoft Store $10 Credit + 1600 Microsoft Points Pre-order Promo List (Include...

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Source: http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=445555462162926&id=158301330888342

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Idaho high school football - Week 4

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Eagle and Rocky Mountain remained unbeaten Friday, as did Bishop Kelly and Fruitland. In 2A, Cole Valley stunned Marsing on the road, sending the Huskies to their first loss of the season 10-9.

Watch the video to see KBOI-2 Sports Overtime in its entirety. Our photo gallery includes some of the best shots of the night.

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Statewide scores from KBOI-TV & the Associated Press:

American Falls 35, Sugar-Salem 24

Bishop Kelly 52, Kuna 9

Blackfoot 34, Preston 21

Canyon Ridge 7, Burley 6

Caldwell 28, Mountain Home 26

Capital 28, Timberline 7

Carey 50, Mackay 8

Castleford 56, Sho-Ban 8

Centennial 41, Vallivue 7

Century 34, Rigby 21

Cole Valley 10, Marsing 9

Columbia 32, Nampa 7

Council 56, Horseshoe Bend 38

Deary 50, Lewis County 0

Declo 63, Filer 0

Dietrich 48, Clark County 0

Eagle 56, Meridian 44

Firth 56, W. Jefferson 12

Fruitland 62, Parma 8

Garden Valley 68, Tri-Valley 20

Glenns Ferry 34, Oakley 26

Gooding 31, Buhl 13

Grace 42, Butte County 36

Hagerman 58, Challis 12

Highland 54, Coeur d'Alene 13

Idaho Falls 36, Minico 21

Kimberly 17, Wood River 7

Kootenai 48, Mullan 0

Lakeland 29, Deer Park, Wash. 14

Lighthouse Christian 60, N. Gem 12

Madison 31, Hillcrest 7

Nampa Christian 44, Melba 22

New Plymouth 22, McCall-Donnelly 3

Potlatch 50, Lakeside 0

Ririe 36, South Fremont 35

Rocky Mountain 47, Boise 17

Sandpoint 19, Timberlake 14

Shelley 42, Jerome 18

Skyline 24, Twin Falls 17

Skyview 41, Emmett 20

Soda Springs 35, Marsh Valley 3

St. Maries 34, Kellogg 3

Teton 31, Bear Lake 0

Weiser 26, Homedale 18

Wendell 37, Valley 8

Wilder 60, Cascade 22

POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

N. Fremont vs. Salmon, ppd. to Sep 22.

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Hermiston, Ore. vs. Lewiston, ccd.

Colfax, Wash. vs. Moscow, ppd.

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Source: http://university.kboi2.com/news/news/57079-idaho-high-school-football-week-4

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iPhone 5's LTE limitations may boost other smartphone vendors in Europe

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Source: http://www.telecomtv.com/go/?ct=1&cid=49298

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Though pricey for Texas, Austin a bargain by national standards

by MARK WIGGINS / KVUE News and photojournalist DATHAN HULL

Bio | Email | Follow: @MarkW_KVUE

kvue.com

Posted on September 21, 2012 at 10:15 PM

Updated yesterday at 10:54 PM

AUSTIN -- Austin is a growing city and inevitably there are growing pains.

"It's a lot more expensive and it's a lot more crowded," said Phil Rugeley, who's been living in Austin since the 1970s.

"It used to be cheaper, it's getting more expensive," said Austin resident Courtney Link who said compared to other places she's lived in, Austin ranks among the middle of the road in terms of expenses.

"Rent is up than the way it used to be, but where isn't it like that?" said Ian Tennant, and Austin resident originally from Canada.
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When it comes to cost of living, Austin is pricey by Texas standards.

According to Sperling's BestPlaces.net, a $50,000 income in Austin compares to about $43,000 in Dallas or Houston, but you'd have to make $20,000 to $50,000 more just to keep up in cities like Seattle, New York or San Francisco.

More and more people moving to Austin has driven the average cost of a home up to $215,000, but within the city itself prices can vary significantly.

"It depends," said Rugeley. "If you're living on South Congress it's a little bit pricey, but that's supply and demand."

"You pick your spots and you're okay," said Tennant. "I don't have to drive that much so I'm not paying for gas, so that's kind of big."

On the upside, Austin benefits from some of the cheapest gas prices in America, according to GasBuddy.com, averaging around $3.65 a gallon compared to well over four dollars on the East and West Coasts.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, residential end user electricity prices in Texas are just below the national average.

When it comes to food, Austin has long enjoyed its reputation as a hub for local restaurateurs specializing in unique and affordable fare.

"If someone here complains about the price of their food, they need to travel," said Zar Lewellen, a developer from Seattle. "It's just dirt cheap."

Another unconventional economic barometer is the average price of a glass of beer. In Austin, the average pint of domestic beer runs between $3 and $5 dollars, but according to the website PintPrice.com, the same beer in a city like New York could run between $6 and $8 dollars.

"A six-pack of beer down here seems like cheap as get out compared to up there," Tennant said in comparison to his native Canada.

Any visitor can tell you much of Austin's attractiveness has nothing to do with money.

"I always enjoy coming down here because it's fun," said Lewellen. "Good barbecue, good beer, great Mexican food and some incredibly beautiful people."

For many, that in itself is a bargain.

Source: http://www.kvue.com/news/local/Though-pricey-for-Texas-Austin-still-a-bargain-by-national-standards-170785136.html

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Virtual boundaries: How environmental cues affect motivation and task-oriented behavior

ScienceDaily (Sep. 21, 2012) ? Much of our daily lives are spent completing tasks that involve a degree of waiting, such as remaining on hold while scheduling a doctor's appointment or standing in line at an ATM. Faced with a wait, some people postpone, avoid, or abandon their task. Others endure the wait but feel dissatisfied and frustrated by the experience.

Are there ways to improve our outlook and mindset while waiting? A new study shows that seemingly irrelevant environmental cues -- such as queue guides, or barriers commonly used in banks and airports -- can serve as virtual boundaries that divide those waiting into two categories: those who are inside the system and those who are outside the system. In several experiments, Leonard Lee, associate professor of marketing at Columbia Business School, working with Min Zhao and Dilip Soman of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, showed that in-system individuals demonstrate increased action initiation, persistence in completing tasks, and overall optimism.

Prior studies have shown that situational cues can have a significant impact on behavior. For example, playing French music in a wine shop has been shown to increase purchases of French wine. This new research shows that even cues that are not directly related to an individual's goal can have a substantial effect in a task environment, influencing cognition and the subsequent manner in which the task is completed.

Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to locate physical markers in their environments to create and define boundaries. The researchers explored whether objects and patterns in a waiting environment -- ranging from queue guides and area carpets to the location of another person -- can create virtual boundaries that divide those waiting between in-system and out-system categories. After crossing the virtual boundary, the researchers hypothesized, an individual would adopt an implemental mindset, which is characterized by a more optimistic view of goal-relevant information and greater action-orientation.

To test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted studies that examined how environmental cues activate the implemental mindset, both behaviorally and cognitively. In one experiment, the researchers placed queue guides at various distances from a busy ATM, so that some of those waiting were in-system and others were out-system. The in-system customers were more likely to remain in line to complete their transaction, the researchers found. A separate study using queue guides showed that the point at which customers initiated task-related action -- in this case, taking their ATM cards from their wallets or purses -- corresponded to the point at which they crossed the virtual boundary and entered the in-system category.

These findings add to the growing literature on the unconscious effects of environmental cues on motivations and behavior. In addition to its application to everyday tasks, using cues to activate the implemental mindset may have broader implications in cases in which the decision to wait can have serious consequences. For example, motivating patients waiting for a kidney transplant to maintain an optimistic outlook can have a beneficial effect on their well-being. A short call from a nurse could serve as a virtual boundary that grants in-system status and raises patients' spirits, the researchers suggest.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Columbia Business School, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/i0wdzRinlUg/120921124525.htm

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